Inside the 228-year-old London restaurant that time forgot | CNN

If there’s a more British welcome to a restaurant, it has yet to be found. Those three words are stenciled in gleaming gold script on the windows of Rules, a legendary dining room in Covent Garden that proudly claims the title of London’s oldest restaurant. With its vibrant red flags and gold-trimmed awnings, there’s no missing the historic eatery on Maiden Lane, a semi-pedestrianized street in the heart of central London. Originally opened as an oyster bar by Thomas Rule way back in 1798, the restaurant has spent nearly 230 years welcoming global luminaries. Its centuries-spanning client list ranges from literary giant Charles Dickens to pop royalty like Madonna and David Bowie, and Queen Elizabeth II. (Though not at the same lunch table — now that would be a dinner party.) If the interior looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen it on screen. Rules has played a starring role in dozens of movies and TV shows. In the 2015 Bond film “Spectre,” Ralph Fiennes’ character, M, dines here alone before being joined by Q and Moneypenny. It was also a frequent backdrop for “Downton Abbey.” Producers undoubtedly loved it because they barely had to change a thing